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RULES AND REGULATIONS 



€l)c Htica CcmcUrg !3Vs0ociotion, 



A COPY OF THE LAW 



AUTHORISING THE FORMATION OF RURAL CEMETERY 
ASSOCIATIONS. 



UTICA, N. Y. 
1849. 









II T-'^- 



Piinted by H. H. Curtis 
Itevereux Block. 



laillii llMaiM 4i33^IM1fMII» 



OFFICERS ELECTED APRIL 26, 1849. 



TRUSTEES. 



THOMAS R. WALKER, 
EDMUND A. WETMORE, 
WILLIAM TRACY, 
HORATIO SEYMOUR, 
THOMAS HOPPER. 
WILLIAM J. BACON, 



JULIUS A. SPENCER, 
SILAS D. CHILDS, 
CHARLES A. MANN, 
J. WATSON WILLIAMS, 
ELISHA M. GILBERT, 
MOSES M. BAGG. 



THOMAS R. WALKER. President. 



JULIUS A. SPENCER. Vice President. 

M. M. Bagg, Secretary and Treasurer 



AN ACT authorising' the incorporation of Rural Cemetery 
Associations. 

Passed April 27th, 1847. 

The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and 
Assembly, do enact as follows : 

5 1. Any number of persons residing in this State, not less than seven, 
wlio shall desire to form an association for the purpose of procuring and 
holding lands to be used exclusively for a cemetery, or place for the burial 
of the dead, may meet at such time and place as tliey or a majority of them 
may gree, and appoint a chairman and secretary by the vote of a majority of 
the persons present at the meeting ; and proceed to form an association by 
determining on a corporate name, by wliich the association shall be called 
and known ; by determining on the number of trustees to manage the con- 
cerns of the association, which number shall not be less than six, nor more 
than twelve ; and thereupon may proceed to elect by ballot, the number of 
trustees so determined on ; and the chairman and secretary shall immediate- 
ly after such election, divide the trustees by lot, into three classes; those in 
the first class to hold their othce one year, those in the second class two 
years, and those in the third class three years. But the trustees of each 
class, may be re-elected if they shall possess the qualification hereinafter 
mentioned. The meeting shall also determine on what day in each year, 
the future annual elections of trustees shall be held. 

\ 2. The chairman and secretary of the meeting, shall, within three days 
after such meeting, make a written certificate, and sign their names thereto, 
and acknowledge the same before an officer authorized to take the proof and 
acknowledgment of conveyances in the county where such meeting shall 
have been held, which certificate shall state the names of the associates who 
attended such meeting ; the corporate name of the association, determined 
upon by the majority of the persons who met ; the number of trustees fixed 
on to manage the concerns of the association; the names of the trustees 
chosen at the meeting, and their classification, and the daj^ fixed on for the 
annual election of trustees ; which certificate it shall be the duty of the 
chairman and secretary of such meeting, to cause to be recorded in the 
clerk's office of the county in which the meeting was held, in a book to be 
appropriated to the recording of certificates of incorporation. 

\ 3. Upon such certificate, duly acknowledged as aforesaid, being recorded, 
the association mentioned therein, shall be deemed legally incorporated, 
and shall have and possess the general powers and privileges, and be subject 
to the liabilities and restrictions contained in the third title of the eighteenth 
chapter of part first of the Revised Statutes. The aft'airs and property of 
such associations, shall be managed by the trustees, who shall annually ap- 
point from among their number, a president and a vice-president, and shall 
also appoint a secretary and a treasurer, who shall hold their places during 
the pleasure of the board of trustees ; and the trustees may reijuiro the 
treasurer to give security for the faithful performance of the duties of his 
office. 

^ 4. Any association incorporated under this act, may take by purchase or 
devise, and hold, within the county in which the certificate of their incor[)ora- 
lion is recorded, not exceeding two hundred acres of land ; to be held and 



4 ACT AUTHORISING THE INCORPORATION OF 

occupied exclusively for a cemetery for the burial of tiie dead. Such land 
or such parts thereof, as may from time to time be required for that purpose, 
shall be surveyed and subdivided into lots or plats of such size as the trustees 
may direct, with such avenues, paths, alleys and walks as the trustees deem 
proper ; and a map or maps of such surveys, shall be filed in the clerk's 
office of the county in which the land shall be situated. And after filing 
such map, the trustees may sell and convey the lots or plats designated on 
such map, upon such terms as shall be agreed, and subject to such conditions 
and restrictions, to be inserted in or annexed to the conveyances, as the 
trustees shall prescribe. The conveyances to be executed under the com- 
mon seal of the association, and signed by the president or vice-president, and 
the treasurer of the association. Any association incorporated under this 
act, may hold personal property to an amount not exceeding five thousand 
dollars, besides what may arise from the sale of lots or plats. 

5 5. The annual election fur trustees, to supply the place of those whose 
term of office expires, shall be holden on the day mentioned in the certificate 
of incorporation, and at such hour and place as the trustees shall direct ; at 
which election shall be chosen such number of trustees, as will supply the 
places of those whose term expires. The trustees chosen at any election 
subsequent to the first, shall hold tiieir places for three years, and until oth- 
ers shall be chosen to succeed them. The election shall be by ballot, and 
every person of full age, who shall be proprietor of a lot or plat in the ceme- 
tery of the association, containing not less than four hundred square feet of 
land, or if there be more than one proprietor of any sucii lot or plat, then such 
one of the proprietors as the majority of joint proprietors shall designate lo 
represent such lot or plat, may either in person or by proxy, give one vote 
for each plat or lot, of the dimensions aforesaid ; and the persons receiving 
a majority of all the votes given at such election, shall be trustees to succeed 
those whose term of office expires. But in all elections after the first, the 
trustees shall be chosen from among the proprietors of lots or plats. And 
the trustees shall have power to fill any vacancy in their number, occuring 
during the period for whicli they hold tlieir office. Public notice of the aii^ 
nua] elections shall be given in such manner as the by-laws of the corporation 
shall prescribe. 

^ 6. The trustees at each annual election, shall make reports to the lot 
proprietors of tlieir doings, and of the management and condition of the 
property and concerns of the association. If'the annual election shall not 
be held on the day fixed in the certificate of incorporation, the trustees shall 
have power to appoint another day, not more than sixty days thereafter, and 
shall give public notice of the time and j)lace, at which time the election 
may be held with like eflfect as if holden on the day fixed on in the certifi- 
cate. The office of the trustees chosen at such time, to expire at the same 
time as if they had been chosen at the day fixed by the certificate of incorpo- 
ration. 

5 7. All lots or plats of ground designated on the maps filed as aforesaid, 
and numbered as separate lots by the incorporation, shall be indivisible, but 
may be held and owned in undivided shares. One half at least of the pro- 
ceeds of all sales of lots or plats shall be first appropriated to the payment 
of the purchase money of the lands acquired by the association, until the 
whole purchase money shall be paid, and the residue thereof to preservino-, 
improving and embellishing the said cemetery grounds and the avenues, or 
roads leading thereto, and to defraying the incidental expenses of the ceme- 
tery establishment. And after the payment of the purchase money and the 
debts contracted therefor, and for surveying and laying out the land, the 
pi-oceeds of all future sales shall be applied to the imprmement, embellish- 



RURAL CKMETERY ASSOCIATIONS. 5 

niciit mid preservation of .such cemetery, and for incidental expenses and to 
no other purpose or object. 

5 8. Any person who shall wilfully destroy, mutilate, deface, injure or re- 
move any tomb, monument, grave stone, building or other structure, placed 
in any cemetery of any association incorporated under this act, or any fence, 
railing or other work for the protection or ornament tliereof, or of any tomb, 
monument, or grave stone, or other structures aforesaid, or of any plat or lot 
within such cemetery, or shall wilfully destroy, cut, break or injure any tree, 
shrub or plant, within the limits of such cemetery, shall be deemed guilty of 
a misdemeanor ; and such ot^ender shall also be liable in an action of tres- 
pass ; to be brought in all such eases in the name of such association, to pay 
all such damages as shall have been occasioned by his unlawful act or acts. 
Such money when recovered shall be applied by the trustees to the repara- 
tion or restoration of the property so destroyed or injured, 

5 9. Any association incorporated pursuant to this act, may take and 
hold any property, real or personal, bequeathed or given upon trust, to apply 
the income thereof under the direction of the trustees of such association, 
for the improvement or embellishment of such cemetery, or the erection or 
preservation of any buildings, structures, fences or walks, erected or to be 
erected upon the lands of such cemetery association, or upon the lots or 
plats of any of the proprietors ; or for the repair, preservation, erection or 
renewal of any tomb, monument, grave stone, fence, railing or other erection, 
in or around any cemetery lot, or plat ; or for planting and cultivating trees, 
shrubs, riowers, or plants, in or around any such lot or plat, or for improving 
or embellishing such cemetery, or any of the lots or plats in any other man- 
ner or form; consistent with the design and purpose of the association ac- 
cording to tiie terms of such grant, devise or bequest. 

5 10. The cemetery lands and property of any association, formed pursu- 
ant to this act, shall be exempt from all public taxes, rates and assessments ; 
and shall not be liable to be sold on execution, or be applied in payment of 
debts, due from any individual proprietors. But the proprietors of lots or 
plats in such cemeteries, their heirs, or devisees, may hold the same exempt 
tlierefrom so long as the same shall remain dedicated to the purpose of a 
cemetery, and during that time, no street, road, avenue, or thoroughfare shall 
be laid through sucii cemetery, or any part of the lands iieldby such associ- 
ation, for the purpose aforesaid ; without the consent of the trustees of such 
association, except by special permission of the legislature of the state. 

511. Whenever the said land shall be laid oft' into lots or plats, and such 
lots or plats or any of them shall be transferred to individual holders, and af- 
ter there shall have been an interment in a lot or plat so transferred, such 
lot or plat from the time of sncii tirst interment shall be forever thereafter 
inalienable, and shall upon the death of the holder or proprietor thereof, de- 
scend to the heirs at law of such holder or proprietor, and to their heirs at law 
forever : Provided, nevertheless, that any one or more of such heirs at law 
may release to any other of the said heirs at law his, her or their interest in 
the same, on such conditions as shall be agreed on and specitied in such re- 
lease, a copy of win'ch release shall be tiled with the town clerk of the town or 
the register of the city within which the said cemetery shall be situated. And 
provided further, that the body of any deceased person shall not be interred 
in such lot or plat, unless it be the body of a person having at the time of 
such decease an interest in such lot or plat, or the relative of some person 
having such interest, or the wife of such person, or her lelative, except by 
the consent of all persons having an interest in such lot or plat. 

5 1-2. The Legislature may at any time alter or repeal this act. 
5 13. This act .shall take eflect immediately. 




^I)c iltica ^cmctcnj ^esodaiion 



p^j5^«c:J^^ f^ ^^Z> AS or2;anizcd on tlic 36th day of April, 1849, 
under the provisions of the foregoing Act. 
It lias pnrchascd an eligible tract of land 
upon an eminence situated on the Bridge- 
water Plank-road about one mile southerly 
from the city, which has been surrounded 
with a neat and substantial enclosure, and 
provided with a tasteful rustic Lodge for the keeper's family, and 
a bell tower, in which has been placed a large bell for funeral 
purposes. Avenues for carriages have been completed, atfording 
a suitable approach to all parts of the grounds, and commanding 
views of all their natural features. It is in contemplation, as 
soon as the means of the Association will permit, to construct 
one or more additional lodges for gardeners, who may be em- 
ployed on the grounds, and a Chapel, in which funeral services 
may be performed when circumstances may render it desirable. 

The debt incurred for the purchase of its grounds has been 
secured by the obligation of individuals in such a manner that it 
is not a lien upon the real estate, the title of which is perfect, 
and is held by the Association free from incumbrance. 

By the Articles of Association its atiairs are to be conducted 
by twelve Trustees, who, by the Act of Incorporation, are divi- 
ded into three classes, in such a manner that the term of office 
of one class will expire each year, when new Trustees to till the 
vacancies will be chosen by the owners of lots in the Cemetery 
which shall contain four hundred square feet. 

It will be seen by reading the Act authorising the formation of 
the Association, that it contains every provision which has been 
found in practice by other Cemetery Associations desirable for 
their protection, permanence and proper government. It pro- 
vides that the grounds be devoted exclusively to the purposes of 
a Cemetery : that they shall forever be exempt from taxation, 
and that no roads or streets shall ever be laid out through them : 
that the burial lots purchased by individuals shall never be sold 



8 RULES AND REGULATIONS OF 

on execution, or to satisfy a debt ; and that the income of the 
Association, after the discharge of its debts for the purchase of 
the land, shall be devoted exclusively to the care, improvement 
and embellishment of the grounds. 

It also authorizes the Association to receive in trust donations 
and bequests for the purpose of improving or embellishing any 
burial lot or the grounds, or the erection, preservation and repair 
of any monumental structure or enclosure. 

It will be observed therefore, 

I. That purchasers of burial lots acquire the fee simple of 
the land in a manner which will ensure its continuance in their 
families. 

II. That the lot owners are the sole proprietors of the 
Cemetery. They constitute the corporation and by their votes 
in the election of its Trustees, control its government and 
administration. 

III. That as the Mdiole income of the Association is devoted 
to the care and embellishment of the Cemetery, no speculative 
interest can come in conflict with the wishes of the lot owners 
respecting its management. 

It is believed that tlie sales of lots will defray all the current 
expenses of the Association, and ultimately produce a fund which 
will provide for its wants after its grounds sliall be all taken up ; 
but in oi-der that the Association shall not be left without means 
to keep the grounds in proper condition, it is provided in the 
deeds that after the year 1860, the Association may anjuially, by 
a vote of two-thirds of its trustees assess a sum not exceedino- 
2 J mills per superficial foot, upon the lot owners, which assess- 
ment shall be paid by the proprietors of lots, but shall not be a 
lien upon lots. When it is considered that the assessment 
cannot be made for more than one year at a time, and in all cases 
that it will require the vote of two-thirds of the trustees, it is 
fairly to be concluded that it will not be made without good rea- 
sons. The assessment not being a lien upon the real estate, but 
in the nature of a personal covenant running with the land, it is 
also obvious that it Mill, in a great measure depend upon the in- 
clinations of persons in indigent circumstances whether to pay it 
or not. 

Deeds are given to purchasers of lots which are made subject 
to the conditions following: : 



THE UTICA CEMETERY ASSOCIATION. 9 

I. All lots shall be held in pursuance of the act authorizing 
the formation of rural cemetery associations, passed April 27, 
A. D. 1S47. 

II. The proprietor of each lot shall have a right to enclose 
the same with a wall not exceeding one foot in thickness nor one 
foot in height above the surface, to be placed on the margin allow- 
ed for the purpose, or with a hedge or iron railing ; but no struc- 
tures of wood shall be permitted. 

III. Proprietors shall not allow interments to be made on theii- 
lots for a remuneration. 

IV. No disinterments shall be allowed without pei-mission ob- 
tained from the Officers of the Association. 

V. The proprietor of each lot may erect any proper monument 
or sepulchral structure thereon, and cultivate trees, shrubs 
and plants on the same ; except that no slab shall be set in any 
other than a horizontal position, unless it be at least three inches 
in thickness, finished upon both sides, set in a permanent socket 
of stone, and not exceeding three feet and an half high and t*^o 
feet wide ; and no tree growing upon the lot or border sliall be 
cut down or destro3ed Avithout the consent of the Association. 

VI. If any trees or shrubs in any lot shall, by means of their 
roots, branches, or otherwise, become detrimental to the adjacent 
lots or avenues, or dangerous or inconvenient to passengers, it 
shall be the duty of the Association, and it shall have the right 
to enter the lot and remove them, or such parts as it shall deem 
proper. 

VII. If any monument, effigy, inclosure or structure whataver, 
or any inscription be placed in or upon any lot which shall be 
determined by the trustees for the time being to be offensive or 
improper, or injurious to the appearance of the surrounding lots 
or grounds, the trustees may by a vote of a majority of their 
number, and it shall be their duty to enter upon the lots and 
cause the offensive or improper object or objects to be removed. 

VIII. No tomb shall be constructed within the cemetery, ex- 
cepting in such lots and places as shall be S25ecially designated 
by the trustees for that purpose. 

IX. The proprietors of lots and their families shall be allowed 
access to the grounds at all times, subject to the general rules 
which are or may be adopted for the regulation of visitors. 



10 



RULES AND REGULATIONS 



X. After the yeai* 1860 the Association may iji any year, by a 
vote of at least eight trustees assess a sum not exceeding 2i mills 
per superficial foot upon each lot to defray the expense of taking 
care of the grounds. Such assessment shall not be a lien upon 
the lot, but shall be paid by the owner of the lot as a covenant 
running with the land. 



Ilule0 Conceruixig 3mproucmcut5. 




UE.CHASERS are permitted to choose lots 
from luiselectcd ground not reserved fo rspecial 
uses, but in such forms and dimensions as may 
be suggested by the executive committee to 
be suited to the locality. The price of lots 
for the present is established at 10 cents per 
superficial foot. Proprietors of lots and the 
members of their lamilies are entitled to admission to the grounds 
at all times, subject to the general regulations for their control. 
Improvements may be made upon the lots sold whenever it suits 
the convenience of the proprietor. The grade of all lots will be 
determined by the executive committee or agents of the Asso- 
ciation. Workmen employed upon burial lots must be subject to 
the control and direction of the agents of the Association, and 
on failing to conform to this regulation will not be permitted 
afterwards to work in the Cemetery. 

All earth and rubbish accumulated by the owners of lots must 
be removed as soon as possible and placed where the agents of 
the Association mar direct. 




SuggcritioiUi to £ot-0wncr0. 

N enclosing burial lots, the expcrie: ce of . Iher 
cemeteries has demonstrated the importance 
of adopting methods wl)ich are as little as 
possible liable to injury and delapidation, and 
which may, with ordinary care, be kept in a 
condition agreablc to the eye. The methods 
most in use, are hedges, stone posts and 
chains, stone posts and iron rails, and iron 
railings. Of these, the following may be observed: 

HEDGES. 

The best plants in this climate with which to surround burial 
lots, are box, red cedar and the low white cedar or arbor-vita?, 
which are evergreen and endure our winters, and the privet and 
hawthorn, which are deciduous plants. The box, from its sloAv 
growth, is regarded as the most suitable for a small jolat, and the 
red or white cedar for a larger one. Hedges are not suitable for 
lots wliich have much descent, as the earth about the stems and 
roots is liable to be washed awa}'. 

IRON, OR STONE POSTS WITH CHAINS, 

Arc found in other cemeteries to be objectionable. The chains 
are extremely liable to rust, and as they do ]iot bind the posts 
firmly together and are frequently used as seats or swings by 
children, they soon get out of jilace and present an unsightly 
appearance. 

POSTS WITH IRON BARS, 

Answer better than with chains. If the posts are of stone, it 
should be unstratified stone : if of marble, there is danger ot 
the bar rusting and defacing it. 

IRON RAILINGS, 

Which unite simplicity with good proportion, are found to be 
less liable to objection than other methods. In lots of ordinary 



12 RULES ANn RKGULATIONS OF 

size, the railing should be rather light than heavy, and patterns 
should be selected which expose the fewest joints to the action 
of the weather. Careful attention should be paid to the founda- 
tions on which they are erected. If laid on a wall it slioidd be 
laid in cement at least three feet below the surface to secure it 
against the action of frost. If upon stone blocks, they should 
be at least eight inches square and imbedded at least three feet 
in the ground. All structures of iron should be painted as soon 
as erected and before the rust commences forming, or the paint 
will be apt to come off in scales. The paint should be put on in 
three thin coats in order to form a good body. The first coat 
should be red lead and litharge, and the second and third of 
white lead colored as desired. If intended to be painted black, 
the second and third coats should be made a lead color. In 
painting, every crevice must be filled and every j^art of the iron 
carefully covered. 

MONUMENTS. 

In erecting Monuments, the foundation should be laid strongly 
in cement, and be not less than six feet deep. The stone of 
which they are constructed shoxdd be free from visible defects and 
if possible each member should be made of a single block. 
Monuments composed of masonry faced with marble" or stone 
slabs will not last, and no structure of stone will endure unless 
it is laid upon a natural bed. Stratified stone should not be 
placed edgewise, or in such manner that the strata will not lie 
horizontally. If laid otherwise the strata will in time separate. 

VARIETV OF MONUMENTS. 

The following passage from a publication of the LAirREL Hiir 
Cemetery Corporation in Philadelphia, is commended bv the 
Trustees of the Grekxwood Ckmeterv : 

" It has been the frequent remark of visiters-our own citizens 
as well as s rangers-that a monotony already begins to be 
apparent m the style and form of the improvements obelisk 
succeeds obehsk, etc., with only slight variations, and iV thi fs 
continued, we shall see, in time, too dull a unifo;mitv to strike 
the mmd with agreeable sentiments. This mav be obviated bv 

alwll: T.Hnr^;'"-' 'f '"" r^""-^ ^ monument, andtvno^ 
aivva;ys taking the advice of the stone-mason, often himself 
w Ihng to suggest the greatest bulk for the least monev and^hns 
allowing marble to usurp the place of good taste ..^"^' " f "'^f*^"' 



THE UTICA CEMKTERY ASSOCIATKJN. 13 

"A correct idea, expressed in marble, may be very beautiful, 
so long as it is unique ; but by too frequent imitation, and in too 
close proximity with its original, it may destroy the charm of the 
first, and ultimately raise feelings in the beholder the reverse of 
tliose desired. ■■ 

The Trustees of Greenwood Cemetery remark : 

" Nor is it of small moment, as some may suppose, that the 
designs of monumental structures should avoid similarity. 
Nothiiig can tend more directlj- to render such grounds tame and 
uninteresting, than the frequent recurrence of the same, or of 
similar forms, in the monuments and tomb-fronts. To prevent 
this result, slight alterations in particular features are sometimes 
made, but with little avail, so long as the general aspect and 
character are identical with those from which they are adopted. 
The mistakes which have already been made in this respect, are 
too palpal)le not to force themselves on our notice, and too serious 
not lO make us anxious to avoid them."' 



SHRUBBERY. 

In the selection and placing of trees and large shrubs, good 
fuclgnient and taste should prevail. A very beautiful eifect may 
be prods^ced by approj^riately grouping trees, so arranging size, 
form and color, that all will harmonize, or contrast favorably 
with the surrounding shrubbery. If attention be not paid to this 
feature, the most beautiful landscape will be marred; and com ■ 
mon observation shows, that such results in the transplanting of 
trees are often witnessed. 

Discrimination should also be exercised in selecting smaller 
shrubbery and tlowers, that they may be suitable to the purpose 
for which the grounds are set apart. To arrange a burial plot 
as one would plant a tlower garden, is, to say the least, in very 
questionable taste. Care ought then to be taken that too many 
flowers are not set out, and that the kinds and colors of such as 
are selected be appropriate. Nothing coarse or incongruous with 
the object and the place, should be chosen. Those which arc 
delicate in size, form and color, should be preferred. Such as are 
simple and unobtrusive, and particidarly those which are sym- 
bolical of friendship, al!ection and remembrance, seem most tit- 
tina: to beautifv the 'Place of Graves." 



UDonations or Bequests. 




T will be observed that the association is au- 
thorized to receive gifts or bequests, and apply 
the income to the preservation and renewal of 
any improvements upon particular burial lots, 
or to the embellishment of the cemetery at 
large. It is not unusual for persons to make 
testamentary provisions for such purposes, and 
in order to guide any who may desire to make 
the Association their trustee for the care and application of such 
a fund, a form of a bequest is here given, which may be inserted 
in a will. 

I hereby bequeath to the Utica Cemetery Association 
dollars, to hold the same upon trust, to keep the same invested 
and apply the income arising therefrom, to the repair, preserva- 
tion or renewal of the monumental structures, or erections, or the 
enclosure of, or the planting and cultivating of trees, shrubs and 
flowers, upon or around lot numbered in the cemetery 

of the association, and to apply the surplus income, if any, to 
the imi^rovement of the cemetery grounds ; Provided that the 
the association shall be responsible only to exercise good faith in 
the management of the trust, and such reasonable diligence as is 
required of gratuitous agents, and that it shall not be obliged to 
make separate investments of the fund, but may invest the same 
with other moneys given upon similar trusts, and divide the in- 
come derived therefrom according to the principal of each fund, 
and appropriate it according to the intention of the donor. 



3ntcnncut0, 




RECEIVING tomb is provided at tlie 
cemetery ibr the accommodation of those 
wlio intend to purcliase lots. Twenty 
days from the time of the interments, 
arc allowed for making the selection of a 
lot and removing the remains ; which 
time, for any reasonable cause, will be 
extended by the executive committee. 
The tomb is situated upon the Tour near the entrance of the 
cemetery, and is convenient of access at all times. It is fitted 
up with shelves so as to render unnecessary the piling of coffins 
upon each other. At the time of the deposit the coffins are num- 
bered and a registry made of them, with a view to distinguish 
them readily when finally removed. 

The duties of superintendent of interments will be performed 
by the keeper of the grounds, who with his family resides at the 
Lodge, and is required to be in attendance at each interment. 
Notice should be given to the keeper on the day previous to the 
intended interment, specifying the name, place of nativity and 
residence, age and disease occasioning the death of the person to 
be interred, and also whether married or single, and the size of 
the coffin or case in wdiicli the remains are to be deposited, and 
the lot in which the grave is to be j^repared with its location in 
the lot. 

The following charges must, in all cases, be paid at the office 
of the cemetery before or at the time of the interment. 

Opening, clusiiig and turfing graves, ^3,00 

do do do for c'.iildren under 10 ycarri old, 2,00 

Single graves may be procured in public lots, which will be 
kept in order by the Association, at five dollars each for adults, 
and four dollars each for children, which will include the price of 
opening and closing the grave. In such cases no monuments can 
be allowed, excepting slabs laid upon the grave, or thick head- 



16 RULES AND REGULATIONS GF 

stones not exceeding eighteen inches in height above the grave, 
and two feet wide for adults and eighteen inches for children. 
Graves purchased in any of the public lots, may be used for other 
interments by paying the price of opening graves ; and if lots 
should afterwards be purchased and remains removed to them, 
the original cost of the graves will be deducted from the purchase 
money of the lot, deducting the expense of the removal. 




tluks Coiucvumg bbitore. 

^^ ISITORS will obtain a full view of the grounds 
and reach the entrance without difficulty, by 
keeping the main avenue called the Tour, as 
indicated by the guide boards. 

Each proprietor of a lot will be entitled to a 
ticket of admission into the cemetery with a ve- 
hicle, under the following regulations, the viola- 
tion of which shall involve a forfeiture of the privilege. 

1. No vehicle will be admitted unless accompanied by a pro- 
prietor or member of his family with his ticket, or unless 
presenting a special ticket of admission, obtained of one of the 
trustees. 

2. Children will not be admitted unless with their parents or 
persons having them specially in charge ; nor will schools or oth- 
er large assemblages of persons be admitted. 

3. On Sundays and holidays the gates will be closed. Propri- 
etors of lots and persons accompanying tliem, will then be admitt- 
ed on foot by applying to the keeper at the lodge. 

4. None but lot owners and their households, will be admitted 
on horseback, 

5. No vehicle Avill be allowed to pass through the grounds at a 
rate exceeding four miles the hour. 

6. No persons having refreshments of any kind, will be permit- 
ted to come within the grounds, nor will any smoking therein be 
allowed. 

7. Persons having baskets or any like articles, and those hav- 
ing dogs, must leave them in charge of the porter. 



THE UTICA CEiSIETERY ASSOCI ATION. 17 

8. No horse may be left ou tlic grounds unfastened. 

9. All persons are prohibited from picking any flowers either 
wild or cultivated, or breaking, or marking any tree or shrub, 
and from writing upon, defacing, or injuring any momiment. fence 
or structure, in or belonging to tlie cemetery. 

10. Any person disturbing the quiet and good order of the 
place by noise or other improper conduct, or who shall violate 
any of the foregoing rules, will be compelled instantly to leave 
the grounds. 

11. The porter is charged to prohibit the entrance of all im- 
proper persons, and also those who, at any time, shall liave wil- 
fully transgressed the regulations of the ccmeter}-, although 
presenting tickets. 

12. The gates will be opened at sunrise and closed (for en- 
trance) at sunset. 

13. No money or gratuity may be paid to the porter or any 
person in the employ of the institution, in reward for personal 
services or attentions. 



ilTonuments.* 

"Why call we, then, the square built monument 

The upright column, and the low-laid slab. 

Tokens of death, memorials of decay ? 

Stand in this solemn, still assembly, man, 

And learn thy proper nature : for thou seest 

In these shaped stones and lettered tables, figures 

Of life ; 

— types are these 

Of thine eternity." 




HE establishment of rural cemeteries has 
;\^ awakened, by natural consequence, a livelier 
interest in the whole subject of sepulchral 
monuments. The feeling which prompts the 
erection of some memorial over the ashes of 
a friend, is undoubtedly a dictate of our com- 
'^ ^ mon humanity. A great philosophic poet 

ascribes the custom to that consciousness of immortality, which 
he believes to be universal, and which is but aided and confirmed 
by the teachings of religion. Whatever the cause, its observance 
has marked every race and age in man's whole history, and ap- 
pears not less in the " frail memorial," than in the gorgeous 
mausoleum ; in the simple Indian mound, than in the " star-y- 
pointing pyramid." The supposed necessities of city life, or its 
poor and heartless conventionalities, alone have been able to check 
or divert for a time the expression of this spontaneous sentiment. 
But these interments in towns must be discontinued ; and the ex- 
pectation is not preposterous, that the crowded charnel-houses 
which have so long received the dead to loathsome crypts, and 
nameless oblivion, will soon be closed forever. 

Well, then, may the introduction of the rural cemetery be hail- 
ed as the revival of a better taste, and the return to more healthy 
usages. It is something — it is much — to have transferred the 
resting-place of the departed from the blank and grim enclosures, 

*The following articles upon Monuments and Inscriptions are copied entire from a publication 
of the Green-Wood Cemetery, which has been freely used in the preparation of the preceding por- 
tion of this work, and to which the L'tica Cemetery Association is indebted for most of its arrnn^'e- 
nients. 



MU.VLJIEXTS. 19 

the tlioughtless and fierce turmoil of the city, to some retired and 
beautiful spot, — even though many continue to cling to their old 
associations, and, notwithstanding the necessity has ceased, still 
retain the tomb. " Dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou re- 
turn.'' How shall this inevitable condition be fulfilled most com- 
pletely and naturally — with the highest degree of safety to the 
living, and of security from desecration to the dead ? The ques- 
tion, however various may be the practice, admits, it is believed, 
of but one answer. The answer is, by single interments in the 
free soil. Nature, reason, experience, utter the response, and 
taste reiterates and confirms it. To this conviction the public 
mind seems to be gradually but surely coming. With the pro- 
gress of this change, we witness an increasing attention to com- 
memorative mcmoi'ials, and evident improvement in their forms 
and modes of erection. Such improvement was greatly needed. 
Bear witness a thousand grave-yards, but too emblematic of de- 
cay and dissolution ! Witness ten thousand tablets, once bearing 
the names and virtues of the lamented dead, and fondly reared 
to their "memory,"' now mossy, mouldering, inclined, or pros- 
trate, puzzling the groping visitor, and sometimes bafliing even 
antiquarian patience ! Witness especially, those heaps unsiLhtly 
of brick and mortar, formerly veneered with costly marble, now 
half-denuded, or entirely fallen, with their recorded " hie jacet" 
doubly true. It is almost impossible to find a monument com- 
posed of several pieces united by masonry, which has stood twenty 
years, without more or less of dilapidation and displacement. 
This evil has been too palpable not to be widely felt, and the 
wonder is, that spectacles so discreditable should have been en- 
dured so long. 

Of the beautiful cemeteries lately formed among us, we hope 
better things. That the hope be not delusive, will require untir- 
incr vigilance on the part of those who conduct these establish- 
ments, and the use of every precaution by those who occupy the 
grounds. In the comparatively modern Pere la Chaise, this evil 
has already become great, and even in some of the still more 
recent English cemeteries, is beginning to be matterof complaint. 
Climate, the main source of the difficulty, is probably not more 
favorable here than it is in France and England. We are sub- 
ject to the extremes of heat and cold, of moisture and dryness; 
to intense frosts and sudden thaws. No material that can be 
used for monuments, has yet been found perfectly proof against 



20 MONUMENIS. 

these potent influences. But although there is not one, perhaps, 
of the stones in architectural use, which exposed to the weather 
is wholly invulnerable, it is certain that they differ widely in 
respect of durability. Ignorance or disregard of this fact has 
led to much of the decay and unsightliness which have so long 
characterized our places of sepulture. This is not, however, the 
only cause. 

The Avhole subject of monumental erections, as a question both 
of taste and durability, must interest not only those who contem- 
plate making such improvements in Green-Wood, but all who 
would preserve from deformities and desolation, a scene of un- 
rivalled, and as yet, undisfigured beauty. 

Regarded as an alfair of taste, the subject is one of some deli- 
cacy, and we venture upon it with becoming deference. We do 
not forget the right of each individual to have his own way in 
such matters, nor those maxims of universal currency, which rest 
upon the assumption, that in all this wide province there are no 
fundamental principles. We set up no invariable standard, nor 
would we, if in our power, enforce uniformity, — variety being 
essential to pleasing elfect. But Ave have notwithstanding, an un- 
alterable conviction that all considerations of this sort rest upon 
certain laws of fitness and propriety which cannot be violated 
without a shock to every mind of just perceptions and powers 
rightly cultivated. If it be a question of form only, the lines of 
beauty and deformity are not so easily decided. Yet even here 
there is less of latitude than is often supposed. There is a voice 
— the generally harmonious voice of cultivated taste. It has the 
sanction of numbers and of ages, and may not lightly be dis- 
regarded. 

The simplest, cheapest form of sepulchral memorial, is the 
common headstone. This in its usual character of a thin tabu- 
lar slab merely inserted in the earth, is not allowed in Green- 
Wood, for the sufficient reason, that it cannot be made to 
retain an erect position. Particular graves are sometimes mark- 
ed by tablets placed horizontally, and sometimes by thick stones 
at the ends, rising but a little from the surface. But the head- 
stone proper is not excluded. To give the required durability, it 
needs only be made sufficiently thick to rest firmly upon a well- 
supported base. This class of monuments is susceptible of many 
pleasing forms, and being modest and unexpensive, will be likely 
to suit the taste and means of not a few. 



MONUJMKNTS. 2% 

Of the more elaborate structures it will not be possible to treat 
ill much detail. A few suggestions of a general nature will 
alone be attempted. In most of our rural cemeteries the popu- 
lar taste, eycr prone to a servile imitation, has shown a strong 
predilection for pyramidic forms. The chief objection is the 
multiplication of one thing, producing as it must, a wearisome 
sameness. We have seen agroundsofullof pj^ramids andobelisks, 
that one could almost fancy it a gigantic cabinet of minerals, be- 
ing all crystals set on end. But there are other considerations 
which should weigh in this matter. The great pyramid of Gizeh 
excites emotions of grandeur by its vast height and bulk. Re- 
duce it to a model six feet high : the sublimity is gone, and there 
is no special beauty in the object to compensate for the loss. 
Those vast monolithal, acicular pyramids called obelisks, their 
summits joiercing the skies, and their adamantine surfaces emboss- 
ed with hieroglyphics, attract our gaze as marvels of patience 
and power. But what particular atoning charm have our petty 
and unsuccessful imitations of them, that they should usurp and 
fill so much space ? 

These remarks, it is scarcely necessary to add, urge not the 
exclusion of this class of monuments, but only a niore sparing 
and sensible use of them. Set here and there among other di- 
versified and graceful forms, these geometric solids might pro- 
duce a happy effect. The dark conical fir-tree, judiciously planted 
amid masses of irregular and bright foliage, shows avcU in con- 
trast, and pleases every eye. But who would fancy a park of 
firs ? 

Those whose hearts are set on pyramids and obelisks, will of 
course gratify that taste. While so doing, it may be well to re- 
member, that in their angular measures, and in the relative 
dimensions of the monolith and pedestal, these seemingly mono- 
tonous structures differ very considerably, — often betraying by 
their clumsiness the bungling ignorance of those Avho designed 
them. In shape and proportions they should assuredly be conso- 
nant with the best forms of ancient art, unless indeed modern 
genius can improve upon those. 

Among other antic^ue forms still used, the sarcophagus and 
column are prominent. These are more susceptible of variety, 
and to lines of higher beauty, add the charm of classic associa- 
tions. To the former of these, as a monument for the open air, 
it may perhaps be objected, that as commonly placed, it is too 



22 MONUMENTS. 

low for impressive effect. Proi^erly elevated on a massive base, 
it could scarcely fail to be imposing. To the simple pillar like- 
wise, as we usually see it. a similar objection holds. It is too 
slender ; it lacks dignity ; it does not fill the eye. To give it an 
effective diameter, would require a height which might be incon- 
venient or too ex-pensive. The short rectangular figui'c, or elon- 
gated pedestal, with regular base, die, and cornice, and supporting 
an urn, or some similar ornament, is a much more substantial 
object. This has been long in use among us, and seems to have 
been often resorted to, when it was proposed to have something 
particular grand in the sepulchral line. Being executed generally 
in the style of mantle work, the lines are for the most part rec- 
tilinear, meagre in detail, and homely in expression. These 
monuments, with their brick cores and marble skins, are rapidly 
disappearing. Peace to their ruins ! Let no presumptuous mor- 
tal attempt to reconstruct them ! 

But this kind of structure becomes a very different affair, when 
reared of solid material and of stone, which yields to the chisel, 
and can defy the elements. Several monuments of this class, 
both square and tripodal, have been put up in Green Wood, and 
have done much toward giving the improvements there a charac- 
ter for originality and beauty, — evincing, as they do, great capa- 
bility in the way of variety, of dignity, and of grace. 

Numerous declivities in the grounds greatly facilitate the exca- 
vation and the use of tombs, and by consequence, render their 
fronts conspicuous. A cursory observation of the different en- 
trances, is sufficient to show that there is, even in these humble 
facades, considerable scope as well as call for architectural skill. 
The conditions which we would see fulfilled, and which are actu- 
ally attained here in many instances, are an appearance of perfect 
security and strength, — symetrical proportions, — and that air of 
quiet solemnity, which becomes the entrance to a house of the 
dead. 

The subject of monuments and devices strictly symbolical, 
opens a field for consideration wider than we can now explore. 
Within the whole range of mortuary memorials, there is probably 
nothing which gives so complete satisfaction as this embodiment 
of thought in marble speech, when it is felicitously conceived, and 
properly executed. Scidpture has won her greenest and most 
enduring crown, when, with mute eloquence, she tells the story of 
faith triumphant over mortal anguish, — and, with immortality 



>r(i\rMk;NTs. 23 

written on her beaming brow, stands pointing heavenward. But 
in proportion to the greatness and gladness of that success which 
rewards the liigh endeavor, are the disappointment and disgrace 
which tread on the heels of failure. The eye of taste and the 
heart of sensibility are shocked by attempts, which convert into 
objects of ridicule and contempt, what ought only to solemnize 
and elevate the mind. In reference then, to all original concep- 
tions of a symbolic nature, the path of prudence seems plain. He 
who meditates a work of this description, ought surely to consider 
well before he decides, lest peradvcnture he i-ecord some ex- 
pensive folly, in a material whose durability would then be its 
greatest mistbrtune. Such a work should bring into requisition 
the choicest talent and the highest skill. Genius and piety should 
furnish the design, and judgment and taste should superintend 
the task. 

For those who, in such matters, are content to copy the no- 
tions or works of others, the course is easier and safer. The 
public voice, — the voice perhaps of centuries, — may be consid- 
ered as having passed sentence of approval on the forms which 
have been so often repeated or imitated. And yet how many 
even of these significant representations, fail to meet the de- 
mands of a chastened taste, or lack the sanction of reason and 
scripture. Angelic forms, for instance, have been favorite sub- 
jects of monumental sculpture. It could indeed, hardly be oth- 
erwise. Our earliest and most cherished associations have ac- 
customed us to blend some image of cherub or seraph with every 
thought of the spiritual world. Sacred verse, from the nursery 
rhyme to the lofty epic, has made these winged messengers of 
heaven seem almost familiar to our senses. The Bible itself, 
through its whole course, from the sad, primeval hour, when 

" all in bright array, 
The cherubim descended," 

to close and guard the gate of Paradise, to that night of gladness, 

in which 

'• sworded seraphim" 
Were " seen in glittering ranks, with wings display'd. 
Harping in loud and solemn quire, 
With unexpressive notes, to heaven's new-born heir ;" — 

is one continuous record of angelic visitations. In no Avay, per- 
haps, have the painter and the sculptor more fully exhibited the 



24 



MONUMENTS. 



power of genius and art, than in tliose happy efforts by wliich 
they have given to the eye these shapes of transcendent beauty 
and o-oodness. But such are the exceptions. Too often, these 
attempted personifications in stone, or on the canvas, do not 
even approach the bright conceptions with wluch poetry and in- 
spiration have filled our imaginations. When the subject is 
thus elevated, nothing short of the highest attainment can satisfy 
our expectations ; and with painful disappointment we turn away 
from the grotesque expression or incongruous attitude. 

" Though sculptors, with mistaken art. 
Place weeping angels round the tomb, 
Yet when the great and good depart, 

These shout to bear their conquerors home. 

" Glad they survey their labors o'er, 
And hail them to their native skies ; 
Attend their passage to the shore. 
And with their mounting spirits rise. 

" If, then, the wounded marble bear 
Celestial forms to grace the urn. 
Let triumph in their eyes appear. 
Nor dare to make an angel mourn." 

Of these imitations, the emblems most used are of Greek or 
Egyptian origin. To the dignity of age, some of them add that 
beauty of device and form which Grecian genius could so well 
impart. No one can doubt that in their own time and place, 
these symbols were nattiral and appropriate, as w^ell as beautiful. 
But are they so still ? Seen among the cypresses of an Ionian 
cemetery, or over the ashes of some beloved and lamented Athe- 
nian youth, the fragmentary column, or the torch reversed and 
going out in darkness, was a fit expression of the popular belief, 
and truly symbolized a sorrow in which hope had neither lot nor 
part. To the mourners of pagan antiquity death was extinction. 
To them no voice from Heaven had spoken. For them no page 
of revelation shone. No seer divine had taught them those les- 
sons of faith, which alone can give to the bereaved and sorrowing, 
assurance of immortality and reunion, when the broken pillar 
will be more than restored, and the extinguished blaze shall be 
relumined never to fade again. With some reason might they 
plant upon the tomb the tokens of crushed affections and hope- 
less grief. But wlion a Cliristian weeps for departed loveliness, 



MONUMENTS. 3f 

or would raise some memorial for one who has died in the faith 
and peace of the gospel, are these the emblems which he should 
adopt ? Shall he upon whose eye has beamed the star that first 
shed a radiance on the grave, and still lights up the once dark 
realms beyond, employ the same symbols with the pagan and the 
infidel ? As a question of religious consistency — of simple pro- 
priety — of mere taste, even — has this matter been sufficiently 
considered ? We pretend not to suggest the forms which sJiould 
either constitute or embellish the mementoes that rise for the 
dead in a Christian land. Happily there is no lack of those 
which are both beautiful and appropriate. They will readily be 
found by such as seek for them. Those who will use the gloomy 
hieroglyphics of some perished creed, should at least place near 
them the cheering emblems of a living faith. If Death be rep- 
resented with downcast look and inverted flame, let Immortality, 
as in the fine group of Thorwaldsen, staiul by liis side, with torch 
high blazing, and eyes upturned in love and rapture. 

A s'rong disposition has of late been prevalent, to revive for 
civil, monumental and religious purposes, the architecture of the 
ancient world. AVhen inan builds for his own accommodation or 
for objects purely civil and secular, the questions which he is 
called to settle are those of utility and beauty mainly. But when 
he rears a temple to God, or a memorial for the dead, there are 
other considerations which demand a hearing. In determining 
the style of erections designed to express and to cherish emo- 
tions of tenderness and piety, it is not wise — it is not safe to 
disregard those influences which belong to associated thought, 
and to time-hallowed memories. We are creatures of sentiment 
and sympathy. A few, in their superior illumination, may pro- 
fess indifference to the power of circumstances so ti-ivial. But 
these are not "the people." However they may doubt or deny 
the reality, the world yet rolls on, and round, — and causes, not 
the less irresistible that they are unseen and despised, still move 
the rising and retiring tides of human passion. 

It is in disregard of such influences as those above referred to, 
that some modern philanthropists have thought it a good specu- 
lation, both pecuniary and religious, to purchase theatres, and 
convert them into houses of public worship. Has the experiment 
worked well ? Not so did the early Christians. When Rome 
was converted from idolatry to the religion of the cross, thou- 
sands of temples were abandoned by their worshippers. Here 



26 MONUMENTS. 

were structures ready furnished to their hands. Did their Gre- 
cian symetry — their pillars of polished marble and porphyry — 
their tesselated floors — or their magnificent cornices and colon- 
ades — tempt the followers of Jesus within their walls ? Nay, 
they knew too well the power of old associations to set up a 
pure and spiritual worship on pavements lately wet with liba- 
tions to Bacchus and Venus, — where altars had smoked to Jupi- 
ter and Mars, — and where every familiar object must have been 
redolent of error and impurity. And is Christian architecture so 
poor and scanty, — is modern genius so sterile, that we must seek 
the models of our churches in " superstitious" Athens and derive 
the forms ot our sepulchral monuments, gateways and chapels 
from calf-adoring Egypt ? 

An American writer, who had noticed the strong predilection 
for the antique manifested in the oldest of our cemeteries, has 
happily expounded the principles of taste and feeling which should 
prevail in sepulchral architecture. We quote from the North 
American Review for October, 1836: 

" It is very doubtful whether the Egytian style is most appro- 
priate to a Christian burial-place. It certainly has no connec- 
tion with our religion. In its characteristics it is anterior to 
civilization ; and therefore is not beautiful in itself. No one will 
deny the superiority of the Grecian in mere point of beauty. But 
moi'e than this, Egyptian architecture reminds us of the re- 
ligion which called it into being, — the most degraded and revolt- 
ing paganism which ever existed. It is the architecture of 
emblazoned cats and deified crocodiles ; solid, stupendous, and 
time-defying, we allow ; but associated in our minds with all that 
is disgusting and absurd in superstition. Now, there is certainly 
no place, not even the church itself, where it is more desirable 
that our religion should be present to the mind, than the cemetery, 
which must be regarded either as the end of all things, — the last, 
melancholy, hopeless resort of perishing humanity, — the sad and 
fearful portion of man, which is to involve body and soul alike in 
endless night ; or, on the other hand, as the gateway to a glori- 
rious immortality, — the passage to a brighter world, whose splen- 
dors beam even upon the dark chambers of the tomb. It is 
from the very brink of the grave, where rest in eternal sleep the 
mortal remains of those whom we have best loved, that Christi- 
anity speaks to us in its most triumphant, soul-exalting words, 
of victory over death, and a life to come. Surely then, all that 



MONUMKNTS. 2^ 

man places over the tomb should, in a measure, speak the same 
language. The monuments of the burial-ground should remind 
us that this is not our final abode ; they should, as far as possi- 
ble, recall to us the consolations and promises of our religion." 

For the highest class of monumental tributes we must resort 
to the studio of the sculptor. Personal representations, whether 
real or allegorical, will ever maintain in the world of art a supe- 
riority to all other forms, not unlike that which belongs to their 
prototypes in the worlds of life and thought. Accordingly, in all 
ages and lands in which art has flourished, monumental sculpture 
has abounded. In our busy country, the era of the fine arts, if in 
progress, has but just begun. As was to be expected, our patron- 
age of the brush and chisel thus far has been somewhat charac - 
teristic, if not selfish, — amounting to little more than orders for 
portraits and busts, to adorn the domestic halls which still re- 
joice in the presence of the originals. Nor is it because they 
could not be had, that better things have not been more generally 
sought. In the first of these departments American genius has 
for years been distinguished ; and in the latter, it has entered on 
a career which promises to be long and brilliant. To native merit 
of so high order, our countrymen cannot long remain insensible 
and unjust. With increasing wealth and leisure, — with advanc- 
ing knowledge and refinement, — with travel more frequent and 
extended, the patronage of art will undoubtedly keep pace. In 
that coming and not distant age of Phidian splendor, the dead 
will claim and receive no inconsiderable share of the sculptor's 
skill. Wealth, refined by taste, and quickened by the promptings 
of grief and aftection, will delight to preserve in breathing marble 
the loved form which has faded from earth. Through the medi- 
um of this most expressive art, the language of sori-ow and of 
hope maybe conveyed to the eye with happiest effect ; and while 
propriety in design might thus go hand in hand, with sensibility 
of feeling, merit would reap a fostering reward. Large sums have 
not unfrequently been devoted to the erection of huge Egyptian 
monuments, — to fanciful tombs below and above ground, — or to 
piles of masonry, which, beyond their expensiveness, have little 
or nothing else to boast of. Had these ample means been applied 
to secure works of high art from a Greenough or Powers, a Craw- 
ford or Brown, how different the result, both as to present effect 
and enduring influence ! 



28 MONUMENTS. 

For all purposes of improvement in the arts — of national repu- 
tation — of patronized genius, need we say that the former are ut- 
terly inefficient ? Were there, on the other hand, in the grounds 
at Green-Wood, a single perfect statue — but one great master- 
piece of American sculpture, to be seen and studied by the myri- 
ads who annually visit the spot, can any one estimate the ele- 
ments of power which would sit enthroned within its fair propor- 
tions? — power to awaken or enhance a sensibility to beauty, — 
power to elevate while it refines the intellect, and thus with 
reflex influence to aid in moulding the manners and the heart ? 

But there is one serious obstacle to the introduction of fine 
sepulchral statuary, which meets us at the threshold. Only one 
material, if we may believe the concurring voice and practice of 
artists in all ages, is suitable for the highest efforts of the chisel. 
But to expose under the open sky, and to all the rigors of our 
Scythian climate, the snowy marble on which months or years of 
labor have been expended, seems to be little less than barbarous. 
Those who have observed the effects of exposure in this country, 
upon even the hardest and purest of the Italian marbles, need not 
be told in how short a time weather stains, and cracks, and exfo- 
liation, do their ruinous work. If, then, we are ever to have in 
our cemeteries these noblest and most beautiful of all sepulchral 
memorials, some safe and becoming shelter must be provided for 
them . 

Allusion was made, in the beginning of this essay, to the per- 
ishable nature of some of the materials used for monuments, and 
to the influence of atmospheric changes upon them all. This 
point has received less attention than its importance merits. 
Strength and durability are indeed proverbial attributes of stone ; 
but they are possessed, by the numerous varieties in use, in wide- 
ly-differing degrees. In the United States, stone has not been 
employed for architectural purposes either so long, or in such va- 
riety, as to furnish the means of deciding the question of compar- 
ative durability, though something may be learned from even our 
limited experience. In the old world the case is different. There 
the influences of time and weather have been fully tested. In 
the serene skies of southern Europe and of western Asia, may be 
seen many a mai-ble pillar, over which two thousand winters have 
swept, without leaving a spot on their virgin purity, or dimming 
their originial polish. But how unlike to this are the effects of 
northern skies ! A few years since, an obelisk brought from 



MONUMENTS. 29 

Luxor in Egypt, was set up iu the French capital. The material 
is a granite of almost impracticable hardness, and its highly- 
wrought pictured surface had suffered no injury from thirty cen- 
turies of African exposure. Already it has been found necessary 
to cover its sides with coatings of caoutchouc, to preserve them 
from the corrosive influence of a Parisian atmosphere. In Eng- 
land, the defacement of many stone structures from dilapidation 
gradually going on, has long been a subject of remark. A Report 
which was made to the Commissioners of Woods and Forests, on 
occasion of selecting the stone for the new House of Parliament, 
gives minutely the history and character of all the principal 
building-stones of Great Britain. The results of the investigation 
were remarkable. They show that while some kinds of sand- 
stone and of lime-stone — the materials chiefly used in that coun- 
try — have stood for seven or eight centuries, almost or quite un- 
injured, there are other varieties of the same minerals which 
show signs of decay after the lapse of as many years. In several 
ancient structures, where two sorts of stone were used, one of 
them has crumbled like so much wood, while the other continues 
in good preservation. Every where it was found that the growth 
of lichens on the surface of the stone, however it may disfigure its 
appearance, is favorable to its duration. The wide and thorough 
examination thus made, ended in the recommendation of a crys- 
talline, magnesian limestone, or dolomite, as having given, on the 
whole, the best evidence of enduring value. The use of stone as 
a building material, is fast increasing in our coimtry, — and the 
facts in this Report are, as far as American quarries correspond 
to those of England, of the highest importance. 

In the selection of a material for sepulchral purposes, regard 
should be had both to looks and durability. The adoption of a 
dark or a light tint, will naturally be determined in part by the 
style and position of the monument — in part by the taste of the 
proprietor. White, or something which approaches to it, has 
many admirers. When fresh it has an air of purity and brilliance, 
and contrasts happily with surrounding verdure. But, unfortu- 
nately, under our changeful and weeping skies, this beauty is soon 
tarnished. The fact will undoubtedly, tend more and more to 
diminish the use of lime-stone and marble, unless some variety 
should hereafter be found with powers of resistance and endur- 
ance superior to any known at present. 

Among the harder and older rocks — granite, sienite, &c. — there 



30 MONUMENTS. 

are, doubtless, varieties which will satisfy every reasonable de- 
mand on the score of duration. These unyielding materials are 
entirely unsuited to structures distinguished by curvilinear forms, 
and carved ornaments, — and nothing can be better adapted than 
they are to those which are marked by rigid outlines of massive 
strength and time-defying solidity. 

But one more stone requires a notice here. Of American sand- 
stones there is a large variety, from those which are so coarse 
and friable as to be neither good looking nor lasting, to those 
which are fine-grained, compact, beautiful, and in all probability, 
enduring also. Of this last description is the red sand-stone 
from New Jersey. The quarry, Avhich is at Little Falls, near 
Newark, was first opened for the erection of Trinity Church, in 
New York, In that elaborate edifice, which is built wholly of this 
material, it is wrought into every possible form of beauty and 
strength. The finest monuments and tomb-facades in Green-Wood 
are from the same source. It consists of quartz and mica united 
firmly by an argillaceous cement, and slightly colored with oxide 
of iron. The fineness and uniformity of its grain, its comparative 
hardness and great compactness, justify the belief that it will 
long resist the disintegrating energies of our varying climate. 
Should this prove the case, it will, as a matei'ial for monumental 
and architectural purposes, combine an assemblage of virtues 
which belong to no other stone that has yet come into use 
among us. 

But the finest of models, and the choicest of materials, will 
avail little, unless the foundation and erection be made with care. 
The monument should rest on a bed of concrete, extending below 
the action of frost and the grave-digger. Each stone should, if 
possible, reach quite across, leaving no vertical joints, — and, if 
stratified, it should im-ariably be laid so that the planes of lam- 
ination shall be horizontal. The best of waterproof cement 
should alone be used as a binding material ; and it is still better 
to make the contiguous surface so true as to require only an in- 
tervening sheet of lead. With the careful use of such precautions, 
perpendicularity and permanence, for a long time to come, may 
be safely guarantied against all the ordinary causes of displace- 
ment and decav. 




3n5cnjjtran0 on itUnmnicnt^, 

p HE feeling which prompts to some kind of 
;^\ inscription on the tomb, is not less sponta- 
neous than that which leads to the erection 
of the memorial itself. There is no custom 
of greater antiquity or more extensive ob- 
servance. Until within a period compara- 

lively recent, a tombstone without some sort 
ot epitaph was an anomaly of rare occurrence. But for several 
years past there has been a growing disuse of inscriptions 
particularly is this the case in our larger cemeteries ti^-' ^" 

resulted, in part, probably, from the increasing use of vaults 

which are generally designated merely by the name of the pro- 
prietor — and partly, no doubt, from a growing fastidiousness. 
The community notice and feel more than they used to do the 
want of taste in the style of monumental inscriptions, as well as 
of judicious moderation in their praises of the dead. 

But while they sympathize with this feeling, it may be well to 
ask whether it be not carrying us too far, when it leads to the 
general abandonment of inscriptions. Can the abuse of a custom, 
good in itself, be remedied only by entire relinquishment ? Who 
can wander through one of our more recent burial grounds, and 
pass lot after lot, and obelisk after obelisk, all uninscribed, or 
bearino- simply the family name worked, perhaps, into the iron 

cra,te, and not feel that he misses something, which at other 

times, and in other spots, used to quicken his sensibilities and 
touch his heart ? In this world of sense and strife and passion, 
is it wise to dispense with aught that is adapted to excite tender 
and pious sentiments ? Should the present neglect of inscriptions 
continue to prevail, the most beautiful of the modern cemeteries 
may be found in moral interest and effect far inferior to the old 
church-yard, and rural burying ground,— however abounding in 
quaint devices and epitaphs offensive to modern refinement. 

" Their name, their years, spelt by the unlettered Muse, 
Tiie place of fame and elegy supply, 
And many a holy text around she strews, 
That teach the rustic moralist to die." 



32 INSCRIPTIONS ON MONUMENTS. 

While not a few will doubtless prefer the old and oft-used 
forms of the obelisk, pillar, slab or sarcophagus, it is certainly 
desirable to have in monumental structures greater variety than 
is to be found in most of our cemeteries, as this want in some 
places, is beginning to be felt. Monuments, like most of those 
now in Green-Wood, constructed of a durable material with a 
solidity which will long defy the action of the elements, and in 
forms that attract and gratify the eye, do of themselves convey 
in part, and well convey, the story of love and grief. But who 
does not confess a sense of disappointment, if on drawing near he 
find no brief epitaph, no sententious thought, no scriptural allu- 
sion or quotation, expressive of bereaved affection and of Chris- 
tian hope ? 



®:i)e ©neiba Stone. 




T a prominent position near the en- 
trance of the Cemetery, stands the palla- 
dium of the Oneidas, the sacred stone 
which gave them their national name, 
and which is said to have followed them 
in all their wanderings. The legend is 
that the Oneidas, M^hose territory extend- 
ed from the country of the Onondagas 
to that of the Mohawks, occupying all of central New York, were 
descended from two Onondaga Indians who were brothers. At a 
very remote period they left their native home and built wigwams 
on the Oneida River, at the outlet of Oneida Lake, where like 
the antediluvians, they " builded a city" and *' begat sons and 
daughters." At their resting place there appeared an oblong, 
roundish stone, unlike any of the rocks in the vicinity, which 
came there to be their sacrificial altar, and to give a name to 
their children. 

Onia, in their native tongue is the word for a stone. As 
their descendants increased in number and became known as a 
community, they were called after it Oniota-aug, the people of 
the Stone, or who sprung from the Stone. The particle aug 
furnished the plural and left the singular form of the word Oniota 
— a man sprung from the stone — applicable to an individual. A 
mispronunciation has given us the word Oneida. The stone was 
the altar upon which all their sacrifices were made, and around 
which their councils and festive and religious gatherings took place. 
After the lapse of several ages the Oniota-aug now become nu- 
merous, removed from the Oneida River to the place where the 
creek which now bears their name, is discharged into the Oneida 
Lake, and the sacred stone unassisted by human hands, followed 
them and located itself again in their midst. Here they flour- 
ished until the confederation of the Five Nations was formed, 



34 THE ONEIDA STONE. 

and the children of the stone became second iii the order of pre- 
cedence in the confederacy. At length it was determined by the 
old men and warriors of the nation to remove their council tire 
to the summit of one of the chain of hills which on the east skirt 
the valley of tlie Oneida Creek. The one chosen for the new 
seat of the tribe is in the town of Stockbridge, and about eighteen 
miles distant from its former residence. ' It commands a view of 
one of the most beautiful valleys in our own or indeed in any 
country. This extends from the Lake southward some thirty 
miles. It is from two to four miles wide, and hemmed in upon 
each side by a range of most picturesque hills, rising with gentle 
elevation from five to eight hundred feet, exceedingly fertile, and 
at this time covered with highly cultivated farms, interspersed 
with occasional tracts of primeval forest, and embellished with 
several beautiful villages. Two or three of these may be seen in a 
single view from many a position on either hill side, while the 
whole expanse of the valley lies spread out before the eye with 
its silver meandering stream, and its roads and farm boundaries 
portrayed as upon an immense map. 

When the council of the nation had selected this new home for 
its people, the stone true to its mission, a second time followed 
in the train of its children, and seeking one of the most com- 
manding and beautiful points of vision upon the hill, deposited 
itself in a beautiful butternut grove, from beneath whose branches 
the eye could look out upon the whole distant landscape, the 
most lovely portion of the national domain. Here it remained 
to witness the remainder of its people's history. It saw the Five 
Nations increase in power and importance until their name struck 
terror from the St. Lawi'cnce to the Gulf of Mexico, and from 
the Hudson to the Father of Waters. The story of the rise and 
conquests of these Romans of the Western Continent, as they 
have been not inaptly termed, would furnish a rich chapter of 
unwritten aboriginal history, and the influence of the name and 
associations connected with the sacred stone might be found to 
constitute not the least important of its pages. Around this 
unhewn altar within its leafy temple, was gathered all the wis- 
dom of the nation when measures affecting its welfare were to be 
considered: there, eloquence, fragments of which, as effective and 
beautiful as ever fell from Greek or Roman lip, are still preserv- 
ed, was poured forth in the ear of its sons and daughters. Lo- 
gan, the white man's friend, was there trained to utter words that 



THE ONEIDA STONE, 55 

burn,* and there Sconondoa, the last orator of his race — the war- 
rior chief — the lowly Christian convert — with matchless power 
swayed the hearts of his countrymen : there the sacred rites were 
celebrated at the return of each harvest moon and each new year, 
when every son and daughter of the stone came up like the Jew- 
ish tribes of old, to join in the national festivities. This was the 
resting place of the stone when the first news came that the pale 
face, wiser than the red children of the Great Spirit, had come 
from beyond the great water. It remained to see him after the 
lapse of many years, penetrate the forest and come among its 
children a stranger ; to see him welcomed by them to a home ; 
to see them shrink and wither before his breath until the white 
man's sons and daughters occupied their abodes and ploughed 
the fields beneath whose forest covering the bones of their fathers 
were laid. At length the council fire of the Oneidas was extin- 
guished. The stone no longer reeked with the blood of a sacrifi- 
cial victim : its people were scattered, and there was no new 
resting place for them to which it might betake itself and again 
become their altar. It was a stranger in the ancient home 
of its children : an exile upon its own soil. Sometimes indeed, 
one of the wandering remnants of its people would make a pil- 
grimage to it and linger a while around it and call up its ancient 
memories and weep over them ; but it was no longer the palladi- 
um of a nation. 

For several years past many persons interested in the associa- 
tions connected with this memorial of the aboriginal race, have 
desired that it might be removed to some position where it might 
be preserved to future time. While the preparation of the cem- 
etery grounds was in progress, it was ascertained that Mr. James 
H. Gregg, the proprietor of the farm upon which it was situa- 
ted, actuated by a similar feeling, would consent to its removal 
to some place within them where it would remain secure from 
the contingencies to which it might be exposed in a private do- 
main liable to constant change of owners. It was thereupon re- 
moved to its present position ; long to remain a memorial of a 
people celebrated for their savage virtues, and once not obscure 
actors in some of the stirring passages of our country's history, 
but who have faded before the approach of the white man, and 
the last drops of whose blood will soon have mingled with the 
earth. 

* Logan was an Oneida. ;S'ee Clinton's Address to the JV. Y. Bist. Soc. 



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